The Texas secretary of state agreed Friday to rescind an advisory issued by his office in January that questioned the citizenship status of almost 100,000 registered voters. The agreement will formally end a review of the voter rolls that a federal judge said unfairly targeted naturalized American citizens.
The announcement by the secretary of state, David Whitley, about the review, which was halted by a federal judge in February, came as part of a legal settlement that will end three lawsuits brought by civil rights groups and naturalized citizens against Texas officials. Mr. Whitley also unveiled a new review process that litigants said they hoped would not unduly burden foreign-born citizens.
“It is of paramount importance that Texas voters can have confidence in the integrity, accuracy, and efficiency of the electoral system in which they participate,” Mr. Whitley said in a statement. “Today’s agreement accomplishes our office’s goal of maintaining an accurate list of qualified registered voters while eliminating the impact of any list maintenance activity on naturalized U.S. citizens.”
Mr. Whitley will have five days to rescind the advisory once the agreement has been approved by the judge overseeing the case. The state also agreed to pay $450,000 for the plaintiffs’ legal fees.
